Dana White reveals Stipe Miocic or Ngannou will face Jon Jones next
‘Jon Jones is ready to go!’: UFC president Dana White reveals ‘Bones’ will face Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou in long-awaited heavyweight debut after more than two years out
- Jon Jones has been out of action for more than two years since vacating his title
- Protracted move up to heavyweight is set to finally take place this year
- Dana White has confirmed that ‘Bones’ will face Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou
- ‘We have to know where we are going’, he said of Ngannou contract talks
Dana White has confirmed that Jon Jones will face Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou in his long-awaited UFC heavyweight debut.
‘Bones’ has been out of action for more than two years since vacating his light-heavyweight title after scraping past Dominick Reyes.
In the meantime, he has been bulking up to compete with the most powerful athletes the UFC has to offer and was also embroiled in a financial dispute with his paymasters.
Jon Jones has been out of action for more than two years but could fight this year
Stipe Miocic (bottom) or Francis Ngannou (top) are the options for ‘Bones’
It seems those issues are in the past now and White offered an update on the situation.
He told Jim Rome: ‘Jon Jones is ready to go. We’re just waiting for an opponent.
‘It’s either going to be Francis [Ngannou] depending on how long his knee is going to take to recover or Stipe Miocic.’
Miocic has not fought since losing his title to Ngannou and it was previously understood that he agreed to fight Jones in September.
Ngannou’s future with the UFC is still far from certain, largely due to the fact that he wants to take on Tyson Fury in a lucrative exhibition boxing match.
White and Co are vehemently against it but also reluctant to let the Cameroonian powerhouse leave as a free agent when his contract expires towards the end of the year.
Ngannou has undergone knee surgery since his title defence against Ciryl Gane and recently spoke about being two or three months away from grappling again.
He said: ‘Next week we will probably get a sit-down and talk a little bit and see where we are going.
‘We have to have a direction to know where we are going.’
Ngannou (second from right) is currently recovering from injury after his victory at UFC 270
It would be fascinating to see Ngannou take on Jones but White is concerned about the effects such a long lay-off could have on the former light-heavyweight champion.
He added: ‘It’s very interesting because I’m a huge believer in ring rust.
‘But for all the negative things you could say about Jon Jones and his personal life and things that have happened, he’s the best. He’s definitely the best of all time.’
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